Wednesday, July 25, 2018

The Quad celebrates the singular screen presence of Winona Ryder with a retrospective. Highlights range from her debut performance in Lucas to her iconic roles in Beetlejuice, Heathers, Reality Bites, and more

The late 1980s and the 1990s would have been a lot less interesting at the cinema without Winona Ryder. Surfacing onscreen while still in her teens, with a shy presence that came with a strong magnetic undertow, she didn’t have the air of a conventional movie star. Yet her very uniqueness drew attention and won hearts, while her seemingly boundless capacity for empathy placed her in direct communion with young viewers. Several of her movies caught the zeitgeist; she proved equally adept at period tales and up-to-the-minute youthquakes, excelling whether with bruising dramatic intensity or voluble comedic chops. Participating in top studio projects, she earned back-to-back Academy Award nominations and began to use her clout to support projects directed by women and featuring female-driven ensembles. Ryder was a standard-bearer for individuality and self-authenticity; if she is to be forever tagged with a Generation X label, then it is only fair to acknowledge that the generations of actors since owe her a debt. On the occasion of this month’s release of Ryder’s new comedy Destination Wedding—building on the success of Stranger Things—the Quad returns to the roots of her brilliant career.

Additional titles to be announced

Beetlejuice
Tim Burton, 1988, U.S., 92m, 35mm

Bram Stoker's Dracula
Francis Ford Coppola, 1992, U.S., 128m, DCP

The Crucible
Nicholas Hytner, 1996, U.S., 124m, 35mm

Edward Scissorhands
Tim Burton, 1990, U.S., 105m, 35mm

Girl, Interrupted
James Mangold, 1999, U.S./Germany, 127m, 35mm

Great Balls of Fire!
Jim McBride, 1989, U.S., 108m, 35mm

Heathers
Michael Lehmann, 1989, U.S., 103m, 35mm

The House of the Spirits
Bille August, 1993, Portugal/Germany/Denmark/U.S./France, 139m, 35mm

How to Make an American Quilt
Jocelyn Moorhouse, 1995, U.S., 117m, 35mm